IRVING — Laurent Robinson had the breakout performance of his five-year NFL career Sunday in only his second game with the Cowboys.

But almost all of the 78,122 fans inside Cowboys Stadium had no idea just how special it was for Robinson and his mother.

Linda Brown flew in from her home in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and was in the stands to watch her son. Robinson was a surprise starter at receiver over Kevin Ogletree and didn’t disappoint, finishing with seven catches for a career-high 116 yards against Detroit in place of the injured Miles Austin.

Robinson and his teammates were decked out in pink cleats and pink gloves for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Brown had on a pink Cowboys shirt in the stands.

After a few catches, Robinson pointed up into the stands at his mother, then pointed at his pink gloves and finally pounded his chest above his heart.

Brown, now a 12-year survivor of breast cancer, described the mother-and-son moment as one of a kind.

“That just meant the world to me, because he knows the struggle I went through,” Brown said. “It was a special day for me. It was awesome.”

Robinson is the youngest of Brown’s five sons. Robinson was 14 when his mother was battling breast cancer.

“It was a tough situation going through it, but she got through it strong,” Robinson said. “I saw some of the scars, and it was a tough feeling. I’m just happy for her and thankful she’s still here.”

Brown said that when she found out she had breast cancer she didn’t want to burden her sons with the bad news.

“I tried to keep it away from the kids as much as possible,” Brown said. “When I found it, it had spread. My breast was full of cancer, so they had to remove my breast and they did reconstructive surgery. I’ve been clear ever since. Trust me, it was tough, but we got through it.”

After Sunday’s standout game, Robinson has cemented himself as the Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver. Ogletree entered the season as the team’s third receiver but has been passed by Robinson, who spent training camp with San Diego before signing with the Cowboys a few weeks ago. In his second practice, Robinson injured his hamstring and was cut by the Cowboys but re-signed with them the following week.

Robinson spent his first two NFL seasons with Atlanta and his previous two with St. Louis. He played last season on an injured ankle but started 11 games for the Rams and finished with 34 catches for 344 yards and two touchdowns.

After some confusion about where to line up in his first game with the Cowboys against Washington, Robinson worked out the kinks last week in practice. He was able to work more with quarterback Tony Romo, who didn’t practice the previous week because of a fractured rib.

“He got off to a really good start in the Washington game for someone who hasn’t been with us for training camp,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He really stepped in and understood what to do and how to do it. The quarterbacks have a real comfort level throwing the ball to him. He has the ability to run past defenders but also make some plays underneath. He’s played well, and he’s only going to improve.”

Despite his breakout game Sunday, Robinson said no one in the Cowboys’ locker room has yet to pronounce his first name correctly. It’s spelled Laurent, but the name is French and the “t” is silent. It’s actually pronounced la-RON.

“I get everything, man. It’s all over the place. LO-Rant, Lauren-T, Lauren. Look at it. I would say it wrong, too,” Robinson said. “It looks kind of funky. I’m used to it. It’s been that way ever since I was a kid. Now everyone just says Robinson.”

Brown said that Robinson’s grandmother was from Germany and she wanted her son to have a European name.

“I asked him one time, ‘Do you not like your name?’” Brown said. “He said, ‘No, I like my name.’ A special name for a special kid.”

After Sunday’s game, Brown relived her special moment with her son when he pointed at her in the stands.

Notable: Robinson’s first name is pronounced la-RON. … Robinson married his wife, Kathryn, in March. … Robinson has two brothers, Zsan (pronounced John) and Andre and two stepbrothers, Chris and Cori. … Zsan Robinson played wide receiver at Troy on the same team as Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware. … Zsan Robinson suffered a major knee injury (he severed an artery while dislocating his knee) in a game at North Texas and had to be operated on by the Cowboys team doctor at the time. … Robinson’s stepbrother, Chris Brown, played quarterback at Colgate. … Robinson’s stepfather, Mike Brown, has been a state trooper in Florida for more than 30 years.

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